Improvement in preserving wood



s. L. COLE.

' Improvement in Preserving Wood;

N 124,419. PatentedMarchl2',1-872.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR. I

PATENT OFFICE.

snrn L. corn, on BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRESERVING WOOD.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 124,419, dated March 12, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SETH L. COLE, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful process for charging the air-cells and sapchambers of wood by pressure produced by the expansion of atmospheric air and other gases in the retort which is employed to produce (by the destructive distillation of pinewood) the material I propose to use for chargin g said wood by the pressure thus obtained; and I hereby declare;the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the acccompanying drawing, which is lettered to correspond with and form a part of the specification.

In order that the public may fully understand the nature of my new process for charging wood for the purpose of preserving the same, I will describe it as follows, to wit:

Figure 1 is a perspective drawing of my apparatus for producing the destructive distillation of wood to obtain the carbonized empyreumatic and volatile products for preserving wood claimed under my new process. A is the retort. B is the discharge-pipe or conduit provided with a regulating-cock, c, and coupling d, which connects and disconnects it to the short section of pipe 6, which is provided with a screw-thread at each end thereof, one end being screwed into themetallic seal or air-tight cap F, the sharp flange of which is driven into the end of the log L, so as to form a perfectly air-tight cap, which is held in its place by means of a screw,'s, or other device. The short section of pipe e is held in connection with the pipe by the coupling (1, so that the gaseous or liquid matter in the retort A will pass under {pressure produced by heat in the said retort directly into the end of the log or timber L, which is located in the open atmosphere anywhere in close proximity to the apparatus. Fig. 2 is. a horizontal section of the log L split through the center, together with the vertical section of the metallic cap F, in order to more clearly show the sharp flange thereof as it is driven into the end of the timber and secured by the screw .9 to produce a perfectly air-tight seal.

I will now explain the mode of operating the same. After the destructive distillation of the wood in the retort A has commenced, I first open the cock K in the pipe N on the left-hand side of the retort, that allows all the escaping gases or white liquor to pass directly into the condenser M, and as soon as the wood in the retort A begins to char the distilled product begins to change to a red color. I then shut ofi' cock K and open cock 0 in pipe B. and, on account of the high temperature in the retort A, all the remaining resinous and volatile products are driven otf through the egresspipes B and e and through the coupling 01 with sufficient force to thoroughly charge the air-cells and sap-chambers of the log or timber L, where the volatile parts are decomposed, and the resinous and pitchy portion of the empyreumatic product remains for the ostensible purpose of preserving the wood.

The novelty of my invention consists in charging the air-cells and sap-chambers of wood, while in the log or timber of any length, in the open atmosphere, by pressure produced in an air-tight retort while employed to produce the destructive distillation of pine or other wood for charging the said air-cells and sap-chambers of wood, by means of an airtight metallic cap or seal and other parts of the apparatus. Therefore,

hat I claim as new and useful, and wish to protect by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. Charging the air and sap chambers of wood in the open atmosphere by means of pressure produced in the retort A, substantially as above set forth.

2. I claim the metallic seal or cap F, in combination with the jointed pipe B and e with the coupling d, cock 0, and retort A, all arranged and operating in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name in the presence of two witnesses.

SETH L. COLE. Witnesses:

J AMES P. MCLEAN, J. RITCHIE MCLEAN. 

